


Reassurance

by nobilis



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Comfort/Angst, Cute, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Near Future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-07-14 23:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16050668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobilis/pseuds/nobilis
Summary: Tsukasa carried a great weight and responsibilities on his shoulders as not only the only heir to the Suou name, but also the king of Knights. With StarFes fast approaching, Tsukasa finds his time limited, but is determined to work hard in order to uphold his promise with Ritsu. However, a thought that ailed him in the past begins to resurface and surprisingly enough it's a sentiment shared by Ritsu...?!





	Reassurance

**Author's Note:**

> I have been on and off writing this fic for months. At first given the time of year it's taking place, I thought I would upload it closer to the holidays, but I was slammed with the realization 'but I can post this around Ritsu's birthday instead' so here we are.

Tsukasa stretched his arms as he let out a relieved sigh. At long last the remainder of his preparations for StarFes were done. He had worked tirelessly for weeks on end in order to ensure Knights performance for StarFes was nothing short of spectacular. 

Last year they ended in 3rd after their arch rivals, Trickstar in first and Fine in second. It wasn’t like he was particularly upset they were in third last year. In the end, they put helping others over their victory in StarFes, which Tsukasa knew was the right thing to do. They were knights after all.

This year however, he wanted to win more than ever. As leader, a heavy burden rested on his shoulders. If Knights failed that was a reflection of his capabilities as leader. He couldn’t allow Knights to suffer due to his inexperience. It would be a disgrace to the Suou name. He was already entrusted with a number of responsibilities as the sole heir, so he couldn’t afford to earn the disapproval of his ancestors now.

But more than anything else, Tsukasa wanted to make Leo and Izumi proud. To assure them that Knights was fine without them now that they’ve graduated, and that the guidance they provided the previous year was more than enough to ensure Knights’ success. He wanted to prove without a doubt that Leo did not make a mistake leaving Knights in Tsukasa's hands. 

Taking a look at the time, Tsukasa immediately jumped out of his chair. He was going to be late. 

Today Tsukasa promised to go on a date with Ritsu. Since he was so busy preparing for StarFes they haven’t been able to go on proper dates lately. He honestly felt a little guilty about it and he could tell Ritsu was a little moody from the lack of time the two of them were spending together. But StarFes was a huge DreamFes, an SS level DreamFes. So Tsukasa couldn’t afford to be distracted or slack off. This meant he put a ban on them going on dates until preparations were complete.

Ritsu complained it was overkill, but Tsukasa wouldn’t even let Ritsu just sit around in the room with him unless he had something to contribute strategy-wise because he knew Ritsu would distract him from his work. Tsukasa prided himself in being disciplined, but that didn’t seem to matter when Ritsu was around since he wasn’t. So he would pester Tsukasa until he got his way.

Tsukasa quickly grabbed his coat and ran downstairs. When he left the manor, he could see his driver was ready to go in the car. Tsukasa quickly entered and apologized that he took so long. His driver smiled it off and said it was no problem before taking him to the spot he agreed upon with Ritsu. 

When asked by his driver, Tsukasa requested to be dropped off about a block away from where he was meeting Ritsu. He didn’t want him to see who he was meeting up with since their relationship was a secret. He and Ritsu already met up plenty with his household staff knowing, but if they knew every single time, they might grow to be suspicious of their relationship.

After he exited the car and it was out of his vision on the horizon, Tsukasa ran over to the park where he was supposed to meet Ritsu. Not that deep into the park he could see him sitting on a bench underneath a lamppost waiting for him.

“My apologies for being late Ritsu-senpai,” Tsukasa said as he took a few breaths from the running he just did. 

Ritsu looked up at Tsukasa with a slightly tired look in his eyes. It was still a little early (for Ritsu) so he wasn’t fully awake yet, but Tsukasa knew that would change soon enough. The sun would be going down in about an hour or so after all.

“Hnnng. Suu-chan, you made me wait in the cold.”

“I’m sorry, finishing up took longer than I anticipated, but all StarFes preparations are complete at long last, so we can enjoy our evening together with a peace of mind~♪”

“Fufu, I hope you’re ready to make up for making me wait for so long.”

“Ritsu-senpai were you waiting in the cold for a while? You should have gone inside rather than wait out here for me. If you were to have sent me a _simple_ message of where you moved that would have been more than acceptable. I don’t wish to see you to die from hypothermia.”

“Suu-chan’s so dense. I wasn't talking about just today,” Ritsu shook his head as he let out a drawled sigh. “It’s fine, I’ll just have to make sure Suu-chan spoils me~”

“Ritsu-senpai, the most spoiling you’ll be getting out of me is paying for your meal. You’re already plenty spoiled as it is on a day to day basis,” Tsukasa chided. Honestly, dealing with Ritsu was like dealing with an oversized child at times. “Shall we head over to the restaurant Ritsu-senpai?” 

“Carry me Suu-chan,” Ritsu said as he reached his arms out towards Tsukasa to have him come pick him up.

“I most certainly will not. You have two functioning legs, so please use them.”

“Tsk, so stingy,” Ritsu replied. Despite Ritsu’s complaints and his childish behavior, he still stood up on his own and sluggishly followed along with Tsukasa. “Suu-chan, slow down. The sun is still out.”

Tsukasa sighed as he came to a full stop and turned around to face Ritsu who was walking along rather wobbly. He really wanted Ritsu to learn to walk properly on his own two feet during the day, but he couldn’t bear to see him like this. Making sure no one was around first, Tsukasa made his way back to Ritsu before he took hold of his hand and interlaced their fingers.

“Shall this suffice for now?”

“Hmmm… I already have more energy~”

“Alright, but if we see anyone, you know I’m going to have to let go, right?”

“Yeah, I know,” a smile formed on Ritsu’s lips. “Just don’t shove me to the ground like last time.”

Tsukasa let out an indignant sound, “Ritsu-senpai, I thought I apologized for that already, so why do you insist on consistently bringing it up?”

“Because Suu-chan’s cute when he’s flustered~”

Tsukasa managed to withhold a disgruntled sound as he metaphorically stuck his head in the sand. Turning his face away from Ritsu, Tsukasa looked at the empty street instead. He didn’t want Ritsu seeing him blush since the other would surely just poke fun at him some more. 

That time that he had shoved Ritsu was purely out of panic. His body reacted before his brain was able to process the situation they were in. Being the sole heir to the Suou name, Tsukasa knew he had obligations and a duty to present, so he knew there was a certain way he needed to uphold himself. Once in a while, when Tsukasa was with Ritsu, he would forget about said obligations, which was incredibly dangerous. There would be moments where he would slip and forget about how their relationship was very much a secret. One time when he held Ritsu’s hand, some of Tsukasa’s classmates called out to him and Tsukasa ended up quickly shoving Ritsu into an alleyway without thinking. He had realized they were far more intimate than they should have been given their location and time of day.

Fortunately, Ritsu came out of the event unscathed and assured him that he was fine. But that didn’t stop Tsukasa from apologizing profusely for it, and it also didn’t stop Ritsu from bringing it up every now and then just to poke fun at him. 

Tsukasa could feel Ritsu’s gaze on the back of his head but he remained adamant on not meeting Ritsu’s gaze and opted to look anywhere but Ritsu’s direction.

“Suu-chan is always lecturing me about how I should look at you when you’re speaking to me, but now you’re outright ignoring me?” Ritsu said with a rather indifferent tone, but the indifference soon morphed into something slightly more sinister, as if a thought just came to Ritsu’s mind. “I guess that’s fine. Suu-chan can’t complain if I want to sleep later then~”

Tsukasa almost hated the fact that Ritsu knew exactly what to say to get him to go along with most things that he wanted. He knew that Tsukasa couldn’t continue this act when it came to behaving like a true gentleman and Ritsu was taking full advantage of it. 

Reluctantly, Tsukasa slowly turned his head to at least look straight ahead. His face was still red, and there was no doubt in Tsukasa’s mind that Ritsu could see that even if he wasn’t facing him. Yet that wasn’t good enough to satisfy Ritsu as he added a bit more pressure.

“Suu-chan, you’re still not facing me~”

“Ritsu-senpai, someone should keep their eyes ahead. It would be careless to not pay attention to where we are walking.”

A convenient excuse, and the both of them were both very aware of it. Tsukasa hoped that Ritsu would show mercy on him and accept the reasoning, but he knew the chances of that were nil.

“We’re careless all the time then, aren’t we?”

Tsukasa knew he had one, maybe two, more come backs left that he could use, but he knew this was ultimately an argument that Ritsu would win, and he was distinctively aware of that fact by this point. Rather than dragging it out anymore, Tsukasa resigned himself to looking at Ritsu. He was fairly confident that he was still red in the face, but at least it was less than before.

He was unsure of what kind of look he was giving Ritsu, but it was obvious it had some kind of effect on him since he would quickly advert his gaze and apologized not that long after as well. Tsukasa couldn’t be absolutely certain, but maybe Ritsu felt a bit guilty for taking his joke a bit far.

“Suu-chan, how much longer do we have to walk? My feet might give out on me any moment.”

“Ritsu-senpai, I urge you to please hold out for a little while longer. There’s only a couple more blocks to go. What happened to getting energy from holding my hand?”

“I used it all up,” Ritsu replied. Tsukasa could undoubtedly hear the drawl in his tone as he continued to speak. “Suu-chan, I think I’m going to collapse.”

“Ritsu-senpai, if you collapse please be advised I will not carry you and will drag you by the legs as I have done in the past.”

Ritsu let out a disgruntled noise as he trudged through snow paved sidewalk. Feeling a little guilty (despite the fact that he knew he had no reason to feel so) Tsukasa gave Ritsu’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Ritsu-senpai, you can order all the tea and as many _treats_ as you want if you continue to walk there on your own two legs, alright? Today is my treat after all.” 

Ritsu’s reply was just another disgruntled noise to which Tsukasa responded by moving a bit closer to him, their shoulders now touching. Tsukasa hardly ever walked this closely with Ritsu, but he figured spoiling him a bit in this way wouldn’t hurt him.

The rest of their walk down the block was in comfortable silence. Ritsu leaning his head slightly on Tsukasa’s shoulder as Tsukasa kept at Ritsu’s pace. Despite Ritsu’s complaints, he sure wanted to take his time getting to the restaurant, and Tsukasa was fairly confident part of that was because he was comfortable resting his head on Tsukasa’s shoulder. Something he knew he wouldn’t be able to do much longer when they go inside but doing something like this every now and then wasn’t that bad.

Almost reluctantly, when the two were close to the restaurant, Tsukasa let go of Ritsu’s hand. Getting the hint that they were close by, Ritsu lazily got off his shoulder and stood up properly. There were bound to be others in the café right now, so they couldn’t chance them seeing the together in such an intimate manner.

Tsukasa opened the door, and Ritsu followed him inside shortly after. The café didn’t appear to be too busy, so the hostess was able to seat them right away. Fortunately, they were able to get a table in the back far from the window. This way, Ritsu couldn’t complain about the sun’s rays with the little time it had left in the sky.

“As I said before, feel free to order whatever you desire Ritsu-senpai. This _date_ is a thank you for you being so patient with me while I was too busy to spend any time with you~” 

Ritsu lazily picked up the menu and started looking through it before he placed it down, “Hmmm… Suu-chan, they don't have what I want.”

“Eh? But their menu is quite expansive, so I find this rather hard to believe.”

“I don’t,” Ritsu said as he leaned in with a sly look on his face. That alone was enough to send red flags to Tsukasa, but he even so, he still wasn’t prepared for what he said next.

Just above a whisper he continued, “because what I want is you.”

And Tsukasa’s response was nothing short of Ritsu’s expectations, that much Tsukasa was sure of.

After Ritsu’s words process in his head, Tsukasa knew his face immediately went a bright shade of red as he quickly picked up a menu in order to hide his face from him. He couldn’t figure out for the life of him why Ritsu enjoyed seeing him so flustered, and he honestly wished he could stop giving the reactions Ritsu wanted, but his body would always react before his brain could do anything about it.

“Ritsu-senpai, that is hardly an appropriate topic to be bringing up at the table. Please properly look through the _menu_ and pick something from there this time,” Tsukasa said as he started furiously flipping through the menu himself. Anything to distract him from Ritsu and whatever flippant comment he was probably going to make next. 

After getting over his initial embarrassment, Tsukasa began to slow down his pace of flipping between pages. Now that he was no longer frantically flipping through the pages, he could begin to actually start reading its contents in order to figure out what he wanted to eat.

Every now and then Tsukasa would peek his eyes over his menu to see Ritsu lazily flipping through the menu as well. It seemed like he wasn’t lying at least about not being that interested in what the restaurant had to offer. Though, Tsukasa wondered if he then made a poor choice in choosing a place for them to have their date. He purposely chose this café because he knew it had an expansive menu, so he hoped something might catch Ritsu’s fancy; however, he seemed disinterested as always. When the two of them went out to eat together, Ritsu would always hardly eat anything and opted to always nibble off his plate and spent most of his time drinking tea while Tsukasa, on the other hand, ate a proper full meal.

Tsukasa knew Ritsu would say something like ‘I’m happy to just spend a quiet day with Suu-chan’ as a date if he brought it up, but he wanted to do more than that with Ritsu from time to time. He couldn't think of anything else Ritsu would particularly want to do since he was not fond of being out during the day, or loud noises. Those two things alone, limited what they could do quite a lot, so Tsukasa always felt like he had to choose a restaurant or café for their dates, but it was becoming apparent how this wasn’t the ideal date spot for them either. Tsukasa just wanted to do something for the both of them to enjoy together, though he couldn’t say for sure if Ritsu shared the same sentiment. 

Shaking his head, Tsukasa went back to his menu and tried to pick something out that he wanted to eat for dinner. Taking into consideration what his meals were like earlier in the day, Tsukasa tried to choose something that his dietitian would approve of.

It was the holidays now, and this time last year, Tsukasa did put on quite a bit of weight. The new year outfit he wore for school was a bit tight, and when Izumi found out he received quite a lengthy lecture from eating too much over winter break. Not to mention, Izumi also made him do countless laps around the track despite how cold it was outside as punishment. Izumi was truly a demon coach especially when it came to maintaining appearances.

Despite the fact that Tsukasa felt that Izumi went a tad overboard, he was grateful for all that he did for him. This year, Tsukasa didn’t have anyone to reprimand him if he ate too many sweets, so he knew he had to instill some amount of self-discipline. 

After all, it would be embarrassing if his new years outfit was snug on him again two years in a row. It would show he didn’t really learn his lesson from last time, and he surely wouldn’t hear the end of it from either Ritsu or Arashi.

Tsukasa closed the menu and placed it on the table once he picked out what he wanted to eat. When he looked across the table he saw that Ritsu already had his menu closed as well, so it seemed like he was also ready to order. Despite knowing that Ritsu was just going to probably only order tea, Tsukasa was still curious to what he picked out.

“Ritsu-senpai, did you pick what you want already?”

“Hmmm… yeah. I figured I can start with some tea and get something light to eat as well.”

“Are you actually ordering food?” Tsukasa asked unable to hide his astonishment. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean anything by that. It’s just you normally don’t order any food when we go out.”

“Yeah, I’m not that hungry, but I figured it’s good to eat when we’re out every now and then too.”

Tsukasa was delighted to hear such information. He knew when the two of them were together Ritsu would always claim his blood was much more appetizing, but drinking his blood wasn’t a balanced diet in the slightest.

There were many times Tsukasa wondered how Ritsu hasn’t collapsed from being malnourished, but he supposed maybe he ate better in the comforts of his own home late at night. Though, Ritsu didn’t eat much when he slept over either, so Tsukasa really couldn’t be sure. Going so far to ask Rei seemed out of the question. If Ritsu found out that Tsukasa had gone to his brother, Ritsu would surely be furious with him. Rather than opening that can of worms, Tsukasa resigned himself to having faith that Ritsu was taking better care of his health behind closed doors when he wasn’t around. 

Since they were both ready now, Tsukasa called out to the waitress in order for her to come back over to take their order. Ritsu ordered his normal cup of black tea along with something from the appetizer section while Tsukasa ordered a chai latte and a salad. Thanking the waitress after she took their order, Tsukasa watched as she hurried away to place their order into the system.

With his attention returning to Ritsu, Tsukasa noticed how the other was clearly doing his best to stay awake as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

“Ritsu-senpai, we’re nearing upon evening and you’re still tired?” Tsukasa asked, though merely out of concern. Usually this is when he started to become a bit livelier, so Tsukasa couldn’t help, but find himself at least a little concerned over Ritsu’s current state. “Are you sure you don’t wish to postpone our _date_ to another time?”

Ritsu in response shook his head, “Nope, I’m fine. This is my long-anticipated date with Suu-chan, so let’s continue.”

Tsukasa cast Ritsu a worried glance, but seeing as Ritsu was insisting that they continue with their date Tsukasa decided not to press any further, for now. If things continued to proceed this way further into the night, Tsukasa would be sure to bring it up again and insist that they call it a night in order to allow Ritsu to rest.

For Ritsu to be tired when it was practically evening, Tsukasa couldn’t help, but wonder what he was up to. Since they haven’t been able to spend much time together outside of their unit activities, Tsukasa wasn’t actually all that certain of what it was Ritsu was doing with his free time.

When he thought about it like that, Tsukasa couldn’t help, but feel a little guilty how he had no idea what Ritsu was doing. He was his boyfriend, was he not? He should probably at least be making some form of effort to keep up with what Ritsu was doing. But Tsukasa had become so preoccupied with his work that he didn’t spare much time to Ritsu.

“It occurs to me that I have no idea what it is that you’ve been up to Ritsu-senpai. I know it’s late and we’ll be seeing each other more again, but shall we try sending each other messages more in order to make sure we’re keeping each other up to date on our activities?”

Tsukasa wasn’t one to really to use his phone very much. He used it only as a method of communication with his parents, servants, and anything work related. Otherwise, he was rather unfamiliar with the device. He has now since learnt the basics of how to take a picture with his phone. It was actually rather shameful how blurry all of his photos were at first, but with the help of his classmates, Tsukasa has become much better with operating his phone since the start of his first year.

But compared to the rest of his classmates, Tsukasa really was still a novice when it came to using his phone. However, he was willing to overcome his difficulties if it meant he and Ritsu could talk more. It wasn’t as if Tsukasa was afraid that Ritsu would break up with him over something so trivial, but a lack of communication was a good reason for people to do so. So in order to squash that possibility, Tsukasa knew he had to make strides to be a better boyfriend.

“But you don’t really like using your phone, right? We don’t need to do something so troublesome.”

“It’s not a matter of not liking or liking. I just don’t really know how to use my phone. Once I become more familiar with it, maybe I shall forget about it less and start using it more often~”

Tsukasa wasn’t sure how true that was. He found it hard to believe he would ever start really using his phone outside if business matters, but if it was for Ritsu, Tsukasa didn’t really have a problem giving it a try. He didn't want this relationship to end in failure because he make any effort to change himself for the better.

Ritsu looked over at Tsukasa again, seemingly studying him to see if he had meant what he had said. The next thing Tsukasa heard from him was a sigh as he lazily shook his head. “Well if you’re sure, then I don’t mind.”

Tsukasa couldn’t hide his triumphant smile. Glad that Ritsu had so readily (for the most part) agreed to his proposal. He was actually a little afraid that Ritsu would dismiss it as being too bothersome but seeing as Ritsu liked to sleep during the day, it wasn’t as if they could talk much during school hours.

That and they were in different years, so they were on two different floors in the building to begin with. Unless Tsukasa purposely sought out to go see Ritsu on the third years’ floor, he usually wouldn’t see him except for when they had unit activities. There was no way Tsukasa would ever bring himself to the third year level, unless he specifically needed something from either Ritsu or Arashi. If Tsukasa started going to Ritsu’s classroom without any real reason, surely people would begin to talk. He couldn’t chance people starting to figure out he and Ritsu were dating. It was his well-guarded secret after all.

“Then I shall start sending you messages tonight. Would you prefer a normal email, or should I send you a message on Line?”

“Hmmm… let’s do Line. Then when I’m too tired, I can just send you stickers.”

“Ritsu-senpai, that’s entirely defeating the purpose of us sending each other messages then.”

“But even when we talk normally, Suu-chan always carries the conversation. How is that any different?”

Tsukasa couldn’t really say anything to that. Ritsu did have a point. If he had left it up to Ritsu, they would probably never talk. He was definitely the type who preferred comfortable silence over talking. And it wasn't that Tsukasa was opposed to the silence, but if he didn’t say anything they would never have any sort of exchange with one another, and then he would begin to wonder why they were even dating in the first place. 

“Alright, but please don’t make it a habit to only send me stickers in reply. I would like to have a conversation with you too, Ritsu-senpai.”

Not that long after the waitress had come back with their drinks in hand. Tsukasa thanked her again and Ritsu followed suit before she politely bowed and walked away. Tsukasa picked up his cup and took in the aroma of his latte first. The scent of cinnamon was rather strong, but he was actually rather fond of it.

When Tsukasa looked up across the table, he could see Ritsu doing the same thing with his tea. As expected of a member of the tea club. Tsukasa was fairly certain most of the reason Ritsu chose the tea club was for its relaxed atmosphere which would allow him to sleep as much as he desired, but it would seem he also did actually enjoy tea itself quite a lot.

“Something the matter Suu-chan?”

“Oh no. Forgive me. I was just thinking about how you’re a member of the tea club.”

“Yeah, since my first year.”

“Well, yes, but you seem actually quite knowledgeable about tea. When I first found out you were in the tea club with Tenshouin-onii-sama and Hajime-kun, I thought it was solely because it was the only club that would tolerate you taking a nap in the middle of a club meeting, but I can see I was mistaken. It’s quite a pleasant _surprise_!” 

Tsukasa was confused by the look Ritsu was giving him at first but then moments later he reached across the table and pulled on his cheek.

“Ow. Ow. Ow. Ritsu-senpai that hurts.”

“Suu-chan’s so cheeky.”

“Did I perhaps say something impertinent again? If so, then please use your words instead of resorting to such uncivilized methods.”

Ritsu gave Tsukasa one last firm tug before he let go of his cheek. Tsukasa immediately went to grab his cheek where Ritsu had so rudely pinched and began massaging it. He really wished everyone’s first choice of reprimanding him wasn’t tugging at his cheeks (or other physical methods). It seemed everyone was fond of such tactics and Tsukasa wasn’t for the life of him sure why.

“You’re going to make me explain? This is why you’re so cheeky. Though Suu-chan is pretty oblivious. Fufu. But that obliviousness is part of your charm.”

Tsukasa wanted to disagree, but the waitress came back with their food, so he decided to table the discussion for now. It was a topic that came up quite a bit, so he was sure he would have an opportunity to disagree with him at another point anyway.

From there, the rest of their dinner was rather uneventful. They talked a bit about some upcoming jobs for Knights as well as catch up with one another from the past few weeks while Tsukasa had been too busy to spend any decent amount of time with Ritsu. Tsukasa laughed lightly, glad to finally be spending time with his beloved senior.

 

* * *

 

Neither of them really made plans of what to do together after they finished dinner. The sun had gone down a little while ago, so Ritsu was finally active, but Tsukasa could feel his energy slowly seeping away. It wasn’t to the point where he needed to go home, but Tsukasa knew he probably only had the will to stay awake for a few more hours at most.

Since they didn’t have much time left, Tsukasa wanted to make the most of it before he had to inevitably go home. It would only be a few more days before they were off for Christmas and the New Year, but even Tsukasa was starting to feel listless in class and was itching for winter break to come. 

But most importantly, even if they were on a date now, Tsukasa was highly anticipating their date on Christmas Eve. It took a little convincing to get his parents to agree to let him go out Christmas Eve, while they were Japanese, he did have a more westernized upbringing and they treated Christmas more as a family holiday rather than a romantic one like the common practice in Japan. However, with the assurance of spending New Years’ with them, they agreed to let him go out that night. 

It was, of course, under the guise of a year-end party for Knights as a celebration for their hard work for the year. Thankfully, from Knights, the only two his parents would talk to are Ritsu and Arashi, and the latter agreed to corroborate their story if they were to ever bring it up with him.

At first, Tsukasa was embarrassed when Arashi found out about his and Ritsu’s secret relationship, but Tsukasa now found himself thankful that Arashi knew because it made situations like this much easier on him. Keeping secrets from his parents was stressful enough, Tsukasa wasn’t sure if he could keep a secret like this from someone who is supposed to be one of his most trusted confidants in Knights.

“- tired?”

Tsukasa suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Ritsu when he caught the tail end of his question.

“I’m sorry Ritsu-senpai, what did you say? I was preoccupied with my own thoughts.”

“I asked if you were tired.” 

“Ah, no. I’m fine. Forgive me, I know I’m usually more of a conversationalist than this, but I suppose my mind is distracted with the holidays coming up.”

A smirk then appeared on Ritsu’s lips, “What was it that you were thinking about? Your Christmas gifts? Our date?”

Tsukasa could feel his face flush. 

He didn’t care much for whatever Ritsu had planned in terms of a present. Ritsu could give him a pen from the dollar store for all he cared, and he would be delighted with it. However, he was looking forward to their date immensely. This would be his first Christmas date after all, but he was too embarrassed to admit that, so he quickly shook his head. 

“I was not thinking anything of the sort,” Tsukasa replied defiantly. “With StarFes right around the corner, my focus has solely been on StarFes alone. Last year we ended up in third place, but this year I would like to aim for first.

“Besides, I’ve told you in the past, it doesn’t matter to me what you get for me. I’ll be happy with whatever gift I receive from you, Ritsu-senpai. Your company is more than enough for me.”  

Ritsu looked at him skeptically before returning to his normal impassive expression.

“You really didn’t think about our Christmas date at all then?”

“Ritsu-senpai, I’ve been busy, so I don’t have time for such frivolous thoughts.”

“Alright, that makes things easier then since I have to cancel our date.”

“Wait, I didn’t mean to come across I was unenthused about it,“ Tsukasa said as he abruptly came to a halt and jerked Ritsu at the sudden stop. At first Tsukasa felt a little bad for suddenly yanking on Ritsu’s arm, but it was quickly replaced with embarrassment when Ritsu turned to face him with a sly look on his face. It was that moment that Tsukasa knew he was played and Ritsu clearly saw through his lie about his excitement for their Christmas date.

Tsukasa wanted to let go of Ritsu’s hand, but the other held a firm grip as if he knew Tsukasa was going to try and break free. 

“That was quite cruel of you, Ritsu-senpai.”  

“Suu-chan was the one who lied first.”

Tsukasa said nothing in reply at first. Because he knew that Ritsu had a fair point. If Tsukasa hadn’t lied then, they wouldn’t be having this conversation in the first place. Even if Ritsu knew how he was, that didn’t excuse him from lying.

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” 

Tsukasa’s gaze was now directed at the floor. He knew that this wasn’t something Ritsu was going to hold over his head, but he couldn’t help, but feel a little ashamed for his behavior. Not that long after Tsukasa felt Ritsu’s hand on his head as he ruffled his hair. Tsukasa let out an annoyed grunt before Ritsu finally pulled his hand away and gave him a lazy smile. 

As Tsukasa fixed his hair, he tried to stay annoyed with Ritsu, but the feeling never stayed for long. Especially when Ritsu smiled at him, he found Ritsu’s smile infectious. 

Once Tsukasa finished fixing his hair, Ritsu placed a kiss on the top of his head before taking hold of his hand once more. 

“You’re quite the _devil_ at times, Ritsu-senpai,” Tsukasa said, breaking the silence between the two of them.

“But Suu-chan, you brought this upon yourself,” Ritsu paused as he looked over at Tsukasa once more. “I guess I did take it a bit far. Sorry Suu-chan, but you really are fun to tease.”

Tsukasa playfully bumped his shoulder into Ritsu’s, but he kept his grip tight on Ritsu’s hand. If at all possible, Tsukasa wanted to stay like this with Ritsu forever. There wasn’t anything that made him happier than taking a quiet stroll with Ritsu in the park where they could just enjoy each other’s company without the prying eyes of others.

But Tsukasa knew that wasn’t possible. Between his family situation, and the fact that the both of them were idols, there were a lot of factors that worked against them, or at the very least, made a relationship between the two of them rather complicated. However, Ritsu was definitely worth the risk and all of the struggles that came with the two of them being in a relationship.

 

* * *

 

The two of them kept walking side by side together in the park until they were in a more reclusive area. As Tsukasa enjoyed the comfortable silence between the two of them while they held hands, he couldn’t help but think how it would be nice to just relax. Maybe talk a bit as they gazed up at the stars. 

However, it was nighttime, so this was when Ritsu was at his peak, thriving with energy, so he knew he should probably take advantage of that fact. There weren’t many scenarios when the two of them were together where Ritsu didn’t sport any sort of lazy behavior.

“Suu-chan, let’s take a break.”

Tsukasa couldn’t help but wonder if Ritsu was maybe a mind reader. The more realistic explanation, of course, was either he was speaking out loud without knowing it or his intentions were clear on his face. Both equally as likely though, the latter was a little less embarrassing.

“We haven’t even been walking that long Ritsu-senpai. There really is no need for a break.” 

“I just feel like it, so c’mon, let’s take a break~”

Tsukasa sighed in relief. Judging by their exchange, it seemed like Ritsu just probably picked up on his desire to rest or was being conscientious of the time. With it being so late, even if it meant that Ritsu had more energy, that meant, Tsukasa’s energy levels were starting to take a dive since he has been awake, and a functioning human being since early in the morning.

“Alright, there’s a _bench_ a little farther down, so why don’t we head over there.”

“We don’t need it,” Ritsu replied.

Tsukasa looked over to Ritsu offering him a quizzical expression, unsure of what Ritsu was trying to tell him. Rather than saying anything else, Ritsu then made his way over to the grass and laid on the ground.

“Ritsu-senpai, what are you doing? The ground is filthy.”

“Dirt won’t kill you Suu-chan. It’s nicer to lay down like this,” Ritsu said as patted the space next to him, beckoning Tsukasa to come sit on the grass next to him.

Now that Ritsu was situated on the ground, Tsukasa knew he didn’t have much power in getting Ritsu to move outside of dragging him across the floor over to where the bench was. He would rather not do such things while they were on a date when it was their time to relax compared to at school when he had to get Ritsu to work, so Tsukasa opted to go along with Ritsu for now and took a seat next to him on the ground.

“See, nice and comfy here.”

“And a surefire way to get my clothes dirty.”

“You can bill me the dry-cleaning fees~”

“Ritsu-senpai, one, it’s not about the money, a fact I’m quite sure you’re aware of. Two, you know I would never ask you to do such a thing, a fact I am 100% confident that you are aware of.” 

“Suu-chan, I want to relax, not be lectured by my boyfriend right now,” Ritsu said before rolling over to his side with his back now facing him.

Tsukasa knew realistically there was no way Ritsu was actually hurt or moping from his ‘lecture.’ However, that didn’t stop Tsukasa from feeling a little guilty. It was unfair. Ritsu knew him like the back of his hand, and despite knowing this, Tsukasa still couldn’t stop himself from playing to Ritsu’s tune regardless.

He was, after all, hopelessly in love with this lazy senior of his.

Tsukasa let out a sigh before patting Ritsu’s side, “Ritsu-senpai.”

Ritsu turned his head around ever so slightly in order to look at Tsukasa. When he had Ritsu’s attention, Tsukasa patted his lap, to which the other happily took his invitation and went to rest his head on his lap.

Ritsu closed his eyes as Tsukasa started running his fingers through Ritsu’s hair. There was a comfortable silence between the two of them as Tsukasa began to look up at the stars. Since they were in the outskirts of town, there weren’t as many lights to take away from the natural brightness of the night sky. It had been a while since Tsukasa was able to see this many stars in the sky. It was truly breathtaking.  

“This is a better way to view the stars.”

“I’m fairly certain the view would be the same from here compared to the _bench_ that was only five meters away.”

“No, I meant down here. Lie down, lie down.” 

Since Tsukasa didn’t really have a reason to refute Ritsu’s instruction, Tsukasa found himself lowering his back to the ground as he looked up to the sky. And as much as he hated to admit it, Ritsu was definitely right. Laying on the ground was a much better way to view the stars. It was easier on his neck and far more immersive.

 

* * *

 

Tsukasa wasn't completely sure how long they had been lying in the grass, but if he had to guess it was probably at least twenty minutes. And as comfortable as he was, he knew the two of them should get moving. Not that they had any distinctive plans, but they probably shouldn’t spend the little time left of their date lying on the ground.

As Tsukasa sat back up, Ritsu let out a groan, probably due to his shifting around in order to sit upright once more. 

“Come on Ritsu-senpai, we should get moving again,” Tsukasa said as he nudged Ritsu’s shoulder slightly. 

“Don’t wanna.”

“Ritsu-senpai, you can’t surely want to spend the rest of our date just lying here.”

“What if I do?”

“Then I shall leave you here and continue the date on my own.”

Just as Tsukasa made motion to get up, Ritsu went to wrap himself around Tsukasa’s waist in order to prevent him from getting up.

“It’s not a date if you’re alone.”

“But you’re not leaving me with much of a choice, Ritsu-senpai.”

There was only silence between the two of them. Tsukasa couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he took it a bit far. He only wanted to encourage Ritsu to get moving, but something clearly bothered him.

“Don’t leave me,” Ritsu mumbled into his waist as he gripped him tighter. Realizing what he said must have been rather cruel to Ritsu, Tsukasa ran his fingers through Ritsu’s hair and tried to ease his concern.

“Ritsu-senpai, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said something so insensitive to you. You know I would never leave you. I was only trying to motivate you to get up; however, I see that my approach was wrong, so for that I apologize.”

Ritsu slowly looked up at Tsukasa, to which Tsukasa offered a smile in order to reassure him.

“I won’t say words like that so carelessly anymore. Rest assured, I have no intentions of leaving you, so there is nothing for you to be concerned about.”

Once it seemed like the words sunk in Ritsu’s head, he slowly nodded his head and loosened his grip on Tsukasa ever so slightly. Tsukasa continued to run his fingers through Ritsu’s hair a little while longer. He never realized the notion of him leaving Ritsu was a thought that ailed him. 

Of course, it was an unspoken topic, but something they were both very aware of. The fact that Tsukasa had an obligation to his family. They expected him to marry a woman some years down the road after he finished up with his studies, but since he was an idol, he could use that as an excuse to not marry for some years after that as well.

However, he couldn’t be an idol forever. At some point he would have to address the issues with his parents. One day, he might very well have to be completely honest with them that he and Ritsu have been dating this entire time. There was no doubt he was afraid of that day. The day he was going to have to come clean with the lie he had spun to them for so long. One of the things that scared him the most was disappointing his parents. But there was no doubt in his mind that what scared him even more than that was losing Ritsu. 

One day he would have to face them head on about his relationship, but for a little while longer, he wanted to keep it a secret and live in bliss.

Tsukasa always considered this his own problem and something he needed to work out. He didn’t really consider too much what Ritsu was going through. But it was obvious, even if Ritsu was understanding about his situation, of course it would bother him to keep their relationship a secret. It was plenty clear Ritsu wanted to show off his affections publicly as well. 

He never stopped to consider maybe part of the reason Ritsu was insistent on being a bit reckless at times was due to the uncertainty of their future together. Right now, they were very happy together, but how long would that really last? They could get caught at any moment, and their happiness could be stripped from them at the drop of a hat. Tsukasa realized now how it was foolish of him to think that something like that wouldn’t bother Ritsu and that he was the only one concerned about it.

Without giving what he was doing much thought, Tsukasa found himself leaning over, and planting a gentle kiss on the top of Ritsu’s head. It wasn’t like him to be so forward, but he wanted to do something to put Ritsu’s mind at ease. That he would do all that he could in order to stay with him.

Ritsu finally looked up at him. For once, his expression was fairly easy for Tsukasa to read. Unused to Tsukasa giving him such affection on his own accord and out in public no less, the slight confusion in his face was apparent. Ritsu’s face quickly relax and he gave him a gentle smile in return, seemingly getting the message before he ultimately got up on his own accord and stretched out his arms a bit. 

“You win Suu-chan.”

“It wasn’t as if this was a competition to begin with Ritsu-senpai,” Tsukasa replied as he stood up and offered up his hand in order to assist Ritsu back on his feet.

When they were both standing again, Ritsu tightly squeezed Tsukasa’s hand, and it didn’t seem like he had any intention of letting go. Although, it wasn’t as if Tsukasa had any intention of doing so either.

Tsukasa knew they were fine now, but he wished there was something else he could do in order to help assure Ritsu that he would always keep fighting for him. Because Ritsu is the most important person to him and he is the one who Tsukasa admires and loves most of all.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. I'm not sure when exactly the next update will be, but hopefully it will be sooner than later.


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